Like many of you, I am enjoying watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The colourful festivities, the beauty of soccer, and the coming together of the world. It all seems beautiful, right? Unfortunately, this great sporting event has a much more darker side. As you might have seen, there have been many violent protests breaking out in Brazil. These protests have been occurring because of forced evictions, unnecessary spending, and the citizens unwillingness to host the FIFA World Cup.
In order to build many of the structures needed for the World Cup, the Brazilian authorities evicted many residents. According to many sources, as much as 200,000 residents have been forcefully removed from their homes in the favelas.
If this wasn’t enough, the Brazilian government is spending about $14 billon dollars on the Cup while many citizens are struggling to have their basic needs met. The Manaus Stadium took $270 million dollars to build, but the thing is, it will only be used for four World Cup games. After those four games, there is a likely chance it will never be used again! According to John Oliver (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I) Brazil is allowing FIFA to forgo $250 million dollars in taxes!
This year’s World Cup has caused an increase in the Brazilian prostitution business. Young boys and girls are being sold into this industry and are ordered to hang around foreigner hot spots to sell sex. Some of these children are abused and starved to death. Many government officials say they are aware of this issue, but nothing is being done to stop it. You’d think that the government would understand and accept the fact why it’s people are protesting, but instead many of these protests go from peaceful to violent because of police instigation and human rights violations.
We must begin to see the bigger picture, and foresee the results of our actions. People’s worlds are being destroyed, just so we can watch a couple of soccer matches for a month. And after that month, when you and I return to our normal lives, think about the many Brazilians that have been evicted, sold into human trafficking, and have had their rights violated, think about how their lives will never return back to normal. The next time you are watching the FIFA World Cup, be aware of what is going on behind the walls of that stadium.
